Скачать или смотреть DBHS PAA Advanced Music Program Virtual Recital II - 3. Chopin - Winter Wind

Etude No. 11 in A Minor, Op. 25 (“Winter Wind”)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Mi-Hyun Suh, Piano

One of the most difficult technical studies ever composed for piano, Chopin’s Etude No. 11, Op. 25 is widely referred to as the “Winter Wind” etude. Though etudes are written primarily as “studies” or exercises meant to enhance the pianist’s stamina and finger strength, Chopin evokes a wide variety of expressive feeling and tonal color throughout his etudes. This etude, however, is well-known beyond its extreme technical challenges and emotional intensity; in fact, it is also one of the few Chopin etudes in which the melodic line is carried by the left hand. The piece opens with a single voice in the right hand, which haunting states the theme in A minor at a largo tempo. Then, the mood shifts to a calm, choral variation of the theme, which hints nothing of the storm that is to follow. Suddenly, a mad flurry of sixteenths in the right hand and a booming melody in the left hand take over the entire range of the keyboard. The following passages develop a similar pattern in different tonalities until the climax. The piece then resumes its original theme in the tonic key until the final statement, where the theme appears again in full, bold chords and finishes off with a speedy ascending A melodic minor scale. Famous for its demanding technique and emotional intensity, the “Winter Wind” etude remains an essential part of virtuoso piano repertoire, and a favorite among music lovers.

Mi-Hyun Suh, Piano, Class of 2021